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Czech Rolls, or rohlíky, boast soft texture, buttery flavor
These rolls make a delicious homemade breakfast, snack or alongside soup
Czech Rolls, or rohlíky, are easy to make at home with no special equipment. (Tom Slepicka/for The Gazette)
Rohlíky are a versatile bread and can be enjoyed in numerous ways throughout the day. For breakfast or a snack, they are often sliced horizontally and topped with butter, jam, honey, cheese, ham, salami or various savory spreads (pomazánky); sometimes they are eaten unsliced with the spread applied directly. They can be enjoyed open-faced or made into thin sandwiches. (Tom Slepicka/for The Gazette)
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
Bread has been a beloved staple worldwide for centuries, with every country boasting its own special versions. While some international favorites, like the French baguette, are readily available far beyond their origins, many other types of bread remain exclusive to their home country, making them challenging to find elsewhere.
More than just sustenance, bread often serves as a testament to a nation's history and traditions. That is why I want to introduce you to authentic and delicious Czech and Slovak rolls, or rohlíky. These iconic rolls are virtually impossible to buy outside the Czech Republic or Slovakia, but thankfully, baking them at home is easier than you might think.
These aren't just ordinary bread rolls; they boast a signature soft texture and a subtle, buttery flavor (even when made with oil) that has charmed generations. Perfect for breakfast, snacks or alongside hearty soups, their unique character is truly unforgettable.
Recipe
Czech Rolls
12 rolls
Ingredients
4 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups of lukewarm water, about 90 to 100°F (preheat in the microwave or on the stove)
1/4 cup cooking oil (any kind)
Brushing mixture
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
Optional — Sprinkle with black and/or white sesame seeds, crushed red pepper flfakes, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds and/or sea salt (do not use if you are going to freeze or refrigerate rolls; it will make them soggy).
Directions
Dough
Place bread flour, active dry yeast, sugar and salt into a kitchen mixer with a hook attachment. Shortly stir with a hand whisk just enough to combine all ingredients (about 30 seconds).
Add the lukewarm water and cooking oil. Knead on low speed until all ingredients are partially incorporated (about 1-2 minutes). Then, increase the speed to medium-high and knead until all ingredients are fully combined and the dough is formed (about 3-4 minutes).
Rising the dough
Remove the bowl from the kitchen mixer and cover it with plastic wrap or plate. Let it rise in a warm place until it has tripled in size (about 1 to 2 1/2 hours).
Pre-shape the dough into compact balls by placing the dough on a surface without flour and separate it into 12 even pieces, about 3.2 OZ each, using a bowl scraper and scale.
Optionally, form each piece of dough into compact dough balls with your hands. Cover the balls with a dish towel and let them rest for about 10 minutes before the next step.
Shape the rolls
Before you proceed, shape rolls one by one on a surface that does NOT have flour. Make sure that the surface is perfectly clean (no residue of food, ingredients, etc.). Since the dough includes oil, it will not stick to the surface. If it occasionally does, use your bowl scraper to release the dough.
Using a rolling pin, flatten each piece of dough into a long shape (approximately 3-4 inches by 5-8 inches). Then, using your hands, roll the dough into a roll shape.
Hold both ends of the dough and start rolling and stretching it to the sides at the same time. Then, roll the roll with both hands on a work surface to a final thickness of about 3/4 of an inch. Place on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough balls.
Proofing
Prepare a brushing mixture by briefly hand-whisking the egg and milk in a measuring pitcher (for whisking, you can also use a silicone brush) to create a brushing mixture, and then brush all the rolls (keep the rest for the second brushing).Then let it proof in a warm place until it has doubled in size (usually about 20 minutes to 1 hour). Watch carefully to prevent over proofing.
Baking
Set oven to preheat at 420°F. Gently brush again all the rolls with the remaining brushing mixture right before baking (when proofing to the final shape is completed).
Optionally, sprinkle with sesame seeds, crushed pepper flakes, sea salt or poppy seeds.
Bake in a preheated oven until a nice golden color is reached, which means the rolls are done (about 12-15 minutes). Rotate the baking sheets in the middle of baking.
Test with a toothpick, then cool on a cooling grate.
Tips
You can increase the rising time for up to four hours based on your convenience.
You can bake more rolls than you need and freeze them for later usage (they stay great in the freezer for up to a half year). Defrost in only two hours.
Source: Tom Slepicka
Many European countries have their own versions of bread rolls. Peter Wendler, a Viennese baker, is credited with making rolls in 1683, though similar baked goods were mentioned as early as the 10th century. Despite the existence of comparable rolls across Europe, the Czech and Slovak versions, known as rohlíky (or rožky in Slovak), possess distinct characteristics. They are known for their unique ingredients, distinct taste and straight shape, which set them apart from other European rolls, like certain German variations.
The great news is that you do not need any special equipment to prepare these Czech and Slovak rolls. While it is easiest to use a stand kitchen mixer with a hook attachment, the dough can also be made in a large mixing bowl by hand, with more effort but with the same outcome.
To make the dough, begin by placing the bread flour, active dry yeast, granulated sugar and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Briefly stir these dry ingredients together with a hand whisk until fully combined. Next, pour in the lukewarm water and cooking oil (I use avocado oil, but sunflower, canola or vegetable oil would be more traditional).
Optionally, you can substitute bread flour for all-purpose flour, which has less protein (less gluten); however, if everything is done right, it will work too. Alternatively, you can substitute water with milk and oil with melted butter in the same quantities, which might result in an even superior flavor. However, using these ingredients would slightly deviate from tradition and would also require a more skilled baker for the best results.
Mix everything on low speed with a hook attachment for 1-2 minutes until the ingredients are partially incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and continue kneading for another 3-4 minutes until the dough is fully combined and formed
Next, remove the bowl containing the dough from the kitchen mixer, cover it with plastic wrap or a plate, and place it in a warm spot to rise for about 1 to 2 1/2 hours (it may take slightly longer at room temperature), until the dough has doubled or tripled in size.
Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a clean surface without using flour. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces, weighing approximately 3.2 ounces each (using a bowl scraper and scale is recommended for accuracy). If desired, gently form each piece into a compact ball (this will make further shaping of the roll slightly easier). Cover the dough pieces or balls with a dish towel and let them rest for about 10 minutes before shaping the rolls.
Good to know
- How to eat rohlíky? Rohlíky are incredibly versatile and are enjoyed in numerous ways throughout the day. For breakfast or a snack, they are often sliced horizontally and topped with butter, jam, honey, cheese, ham, salami or various savory spreads (pomazánky); sometimes they are eaten unsliced with the spread applied directly. They can be enjoyed open-faced or made into thin sandwiches. They can also be cut horizontally and turned into small appetizers called Jednohubky. Rohlíky can be dipped into various spreads or dips and served as a quick snack or lunch. Additionally, they can be served alongside stews like goulash or soups, where they are useful for dipping and soaking up broth or sauce. Additionally, a rohlík forms the traditional bun for a párek v rohlíku (a Czech hot dog, where the sausage is inserted into a hole made in the roll), and they are often enjoyed simply plain as a quick bite.
- Czech Rolls pronunciation: This type of bread roll is popular in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with slightly different names and pronunciations. In Czech, the singular rohlík sounds roughly like "ROH-leek," stressed on the first syllable with a long "ee" sound (like in "seek") indicated by the accent mark over the “i.”The Czech plural, rohlíky, is pronounced "ROH-lee-ki," keeping the stress and long "ee," but ending with a short "i" sound (like in "kit"). In neighboring Slovakia, where the roll is equally beloved, the singular form is rožok. This is pronounced approximately "RO-zhok," again stressed on the first syllable, but with the “ž“making a sound like the ”s” in "pleasure" or "measure," and a short “o” sound. The Slovak plural, rožky, is pronounced "ROZH-ki," maintaining the first-syllable stress and the “ž“ sound, ending with that same short ”i“ sound found in the Czech plural.
- Don't waste old bread — turn it into homemade breadcrumbs! Nearly any type of bread can find a second life as breadcrumbs once it's past its fresh stage. While even whole grain bread can work, regular non-whole grain bread, preferably containing some fat — like rohlíky, burger buns, American-style baguettes or Vienna bread — is often more suitable and yields superior results, traditionally preferred in many European countries. The most crucial step is to ensure the bread is completely dry and hard. An effective method is letting older bread air dry fully at room temperature. For the easiest processing, cut the bread into chunks before drying; this makes them fit easily into a food processor and speeds up drying. Then, once dry, process in a food processor or blender to a fine consistency. Alternatively, you can use a box grater or a grating attachment on the fully dried bread, which handles larger pieces but is more labor-intensive and messier. While an optional final step involves spreading the crumbs on a baking sheet for further drying in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 15 minutes, this is generally unnecessary if the bread you started with was already completely dry and crunchy.
- What is steam baking? Optionally, you can place a small heatproof bowl (or small baking dish) with water and ice cubes on the bottom of the hot oven before baking any kind of bread, including rohlíky. This will allow you to bake your bread in steam, replicating professional steam-injected ovens, which are most often used to bake bread. Also, some versions of fancy home ovens have this feature too, which makes the whole process easier. Baking in steam offers the advantage of keeping the dough's surface moist and pliable for longer, maximizing "oven spring" for a lighter loaf with better volume by allowing the dough to fully expand before the crust sets. Furthermore, the steam helps gelatinize starches on the dough's exterior, resulting in the development of a superior thin, crisp, shiny and beautifully golden-brown crust. I personally use steam baking for all my larger loaves of bread, where the advantage of this extra hassle is most noticeable, and I often opt out when baking rohlíky, since the advantage is not significant in my opinion. But feel free to go ahead and try both options if you wish.
To shape the rolls, work with one piece of dough at a time on a perfectly clean surface without using any flour; the oil in the dough should prevent sticking, but use a bowl scraper to release it if necessary. First, use a rolling pin to flatten a dough piece into an elongated shape, roughly 3-4 inches wide and 5-8 inches long. Next, begin rolling the dough into a roll shape using your hands; simultaneously hold both ends while rolling and gently stretching the dough outwards towards the sides. Finish by rolling the formed dough back and forth on the work surface with both hands until it reaches a final thickness of about 3/4 inch. Place the shaped roll onto a prepared baking sheet and repeat this entire process with the remaining dough pieces.
When all rolls are formed, prepare an egg wash by briefly whisking together an egg and milk. Lightly brush part of this mixture over all the shaped rolls, reserving what's left. Let the rolls proof in a warm place until they have doubled in size, typically taking between 20 minutes and 1 hour; be sure to watch them carefully towards the end to prevent over-proofing.
Preheat your oven to 420°F (215°C). Just before baking, brush the rolls with egg wash and optionally sprinkle with any desired toppings. Carefully place the baking sheets into the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through for even cooking. The rolls are done when they reach a nice golden-brown color. Once baked, transfer the rolls from the baking sheets to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve while warm or fully cooled with butter, cheese, ham or your favorite spread. They are best the first day, but remain good for about three days at room temperature. They freeze well; it is best to freeze them right after they have cooled to room temperature. They can be defrosted on the countertop.
Tom Slepicka is the founder of www.cookinghub.com, and is a recipe creator, culinary instructor, chef, and a consultant. You can reach him at tom@cookinghub.com.
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